The crowning achievement of naval artillery was the Dreadnought-era
battleship.
The dominance of the modern naval battleship was from about 1906 to the start of
World
War II during which typical main
armament rose from 305-millimetre (12 in) guns to 381-millimetre (15 in)
guns or 406-millimetre (16 in) guns with consequent increase in range and
shell firepower. The largest naval guns ever mounted were the 460-millimetre (18 in)
guns used on the Japanese Yamato
class battleships, firing a 1,460 kilogram (3,219 lb) projectile to a
maximum range of 42,000 metres
(45,930 yards).